A Federal High Court in Jalingo has ruled that Umar Suleiman Madaki is the rightful African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate for Jalingo I state constituency in the upcoming election. Justice Mashkur Salisu handed down the judgment on Wednesday in a case that settled a row over who won the party's primary vote.
Madaki went to court after claiming he'd won the ADC primary but the party gave its ticket to someone else instead. He named Shamsuddeen Inuwa Muhammad, the ADC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants in the suit.
The judge declared Muhammad's nomination "unlawful, unconstitutional, and of no legal effect." Justice Salisu stressed that only candidates who emerge from a lawful primary have the right to electoral body recognition.
The court confirmed Madaki won the ADC primary for Jalingo I and declared him the party's authentic candidate for the race. It instructed INEC to immediately recognise and list Madaki as the ADC's nominated candidate.
The judge also told the ADC to submit Madaki's name to the electoral commission as its official candidate for the constituency. Madaki's lawyer, Barrister Milkman Karel, hailed the decision as a win for proper procedure, party democracy and the rule of law.
Karel told reporters the ruling showed the courts remain committed to holding political parties accountable to their own rules and Nigeria's Electoral Act when they run primary elections. He said the judgment reinforced that parties must follow constitutional and legal guidelines in choosing candidates.
